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the drinking age in america. The drinking age in ... underage drinking. America
has the highest legalized drinking age in the world. In fact ...
... crime. Being the only country to hold a 21 and over drinking age, America
is engaging in an odd social experiment of sorts. The ...
... After doing research on this topic it is clear to say that there is a distinct
connection between America's drinking age and the rate of alcoholism and that a ...
... entails. In a curious contradiction to that, however, America insists
on maintaining a drinking age of 21 years old. Individual ...
... eighteen. The United State's minimum drinking age should remain
twenty-one years old. We are the United States of America. We are ...
Submitted by panzer0855 on April 25, 2005
Category: Social Issues
Words: 673 | Pages: 3
Views: 196
Popularity Rank: 61,976
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The drinking age in America
Unsupervised, underage drinking has become an epidemic throughout the world, but in the in America more than anywhere else. Even the president's 19 year old daughter has been arrested for underage drinking. America has the highest legalized drinking age in the world. In fact, only four countries in the world have a legalized drinking age over 18. When we turn 18 in America we are supposed to be adults, but then what is the 21 age mark it is like we get an adult trial version for three years without some freedoms but with all the consequences. For example a twenty-year old, wounded soldier from Iraq can vote, get married, and be tried as an adult, but he can't even buy a drink! Apparently, we value the condition of his social life more than life itself. Hundreds if not thousands of soldiers have experienced the same scenario. This is nothing new, there is a long history of alcohol ageism.
The first establishment of a national drinking age actually started before prohibition. The temperance movement at the time used a minimum drinking age to gradually bring about the ban of alcohol all together. In 1919 the temperance movement got what they wanted and the 18th Amendment was created banning the sale of Alcohol in America. This ultimately failed resulting in increased gang violence and bootlegging. In 1933 due to a change of public opinion the ban was lifted with what is called the 21st Amendment. After prohibition what was left of the temperance movement made sure that a minimum drinking age remained. This made it illegal for anyone under 21 to buy liquor but in some states you could still buy beer at 18. This remained the case for the next forty years. In the early 70's when baby boomers were dealing with the Vietnam war there was pressure to lower the drinking age, so many states (29 of them) lowered the LDA to either 18 or 19. The big argument was that if one could die in combat why couldn't he have a drink....
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